The NBA trade deadline is jam-packed with rumors. One of the main ones is regarding Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant and Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler.
A new report on Tuesday night mentioned that the Warriors have made Durant their “priority” ahead of the deadline.
On top of that, the Warriors were the favorites in the latest odds for Durant’s team, so there is plenty of smoke around a Durant reunion in Golden State.
Now, NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein laid out a three-team blockbuster deal that has a ton of moving parts.
“One reason for the significant uptick in Durant chatter, sources said, is that trading him appears to be the only way for Phoenix to acquire Miami’s Jimmy Butler before Thursday’s deadline,” Fischer and Stein wrote via Substack.
Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) and Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22)
© Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
They also added that Butler going to Phoenix and Durant to Golden State is “indeed in play.”
Durant was part of the Warriors team that won back-to-back NBA titles in 2017 and 2018, and a return would reunite him with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green in hopes of another NBA Finals run.
On the other hand, it has become clear that Butler prefers to go to the Suns, although Phoenix going from Durant to Butler is quite a scenario.
Arizona sports insider John Gambadoro also had a similar Butler-Durant trade.
“The KD to Golden State has taken on a life of its own in the last 24 hours. Look I do not know for sure so not reporting. I did talk to several teams today that heard the same thing. One told me “He will most likely end up in Golden State with Butler to Phoenix.”
Brian Windhorst reported that the Heat and Warriors had previously discussed a trade that would’ve sent Andrew Wiggins to Miami, so that’s another thing to watch in this rumor.
So, with all the rumors circulating, there is now a scenario in which Durant goes to Golden State, Butler goes to Phoenix, and Miami adds some pieces to what would be a massive three-team blockbuster.
